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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · band · kid · mate · lie · ground · wake · stock

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. band — a music group
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kid — child
  11. stock — goods
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bore — to drill
  15. ground — the earth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. ground — a position
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bore — to tire
  22. lie — to recline
  23. stock — shares
  24. band — a ring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com